Strangely Right
by btvsna
Summary: After a bad break-up, Bella wanders the streets of Chicago. What will she find?


**Tattward & Inkella One-Shot Contest**

**Title: Strangely right**

**Your pen name: btvsna**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Emmett**

**Disclaimer: SM owns all, I just play around with them**

**To see other entries in the Tattward & Inkella Contest, please visit the C2 page:  
**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/Tattward_and_Inkella_Contest/71624/

**A/N: Just because it came up, I don't have unicorns, but in my mind Bella does.**

I heaved the picture frame against the wall, taking grim satisfaction in the sounds of the wood splintering and the glass shattering. Alice gave a tiny squeal of delight from my left before handing me the small unicorn figurine I'd gotten for my last birthday. I hated unicorns.

"Stupid, adulterous prick," I grunted as I chucked the stupid unicorn against the wall, pleased to see it fracture into dozens of shards. I reached my hands out for the next victim. Alice handed me another picture. I chanced a brief look at it before I flung it towards the wall.

It was a picture of Mike and me from last summer. We were at the beach, smiling and happy. Mike was behind me, his arms around my waist and his head on my shoulder. The picture had been taken in the middle of our laughter. At the time, I thought it was the picture of the perfect couple. That was before I came home early from dinner with my father last week to find Mike and Jessica in my kitchen. I still had the image of Jessica sitting on my counter, her legs wrapped around Mike's waist, Mike doing that stupid half pant, half grunt thing he did as he came.

The picture frame left a dent in the wall.

"That's it, that's the last of them," Alice said happily, grabbing the broom and dust pan to clean up the mess I made. "Now, wasn't I right? Isn't being angry so much better than moping around eating Ben & Jerry's by the pint?"

I smiled at Alice. She was right, she knew she was. But now that all my mementos of my relationship with Mike were destroyed, I needed to get out of my apartment and away from the scene of the crime.

"Come on," I said, grabbing Alice by her arm, "let's get out of here."

"Where're we going?" Alice asked as she trotted along behind me.

"I don't know yet."

Parking my old Chevette in the parking garage down the street from where I worked, I started to wonder aimlessly down the crowded sidewalk. Alice kept up beside be, not saying anything. She knew me well enough to know that right now I just needed to wander, to let my feet lead me. I had no idea where I was going, but I'd know when I got there.

The neon sign caught my attention, bringing me to an abrupt halt. Alice skidded to a stop beside me and looked at me questioningly.

Is this what I wanted? Sure, I'd kicked the idea around for years, but was I ready? I thought about it for a minute, weighing the pros against the cons.

"Bella?" Alice was looking up at me, maybe wondering what I was thinking, maybe wondering if we were going to go in. I wasn't sure.

"Come on," I said, grabbing her hand and tugging her into the shop.

The man at the front counter looked up as the chime above the door rang twice.

"Evening, ladies. What can we do ya for?"

I was slightly taken aback. Both his arms were covered in tattoos; it didn't look like there was an inch of skin on them that wasn't colored in. The tattoos, a series of skulls on one side and a dragon on the other, continued up his neck, probably covering his chest and shoulders as well. Both his eyebrows were pierced, as was the hollow between his bottom lip and chin. His dark brown hair was cut short, the ends curling slightly. As his face split into a big, friendly smile, I thought that if not for the piercings and tattoos, he'd look like an overgrown kid.

"Uh, I think I might want to get a tattoo," I said hesitantly.

Alice gave a tiny gasp of surprise. The big man behind the counter simply arched a pierced eyebrow at me.

"I think you might want to be sure before you get one, sweetheart. It's not exactly something you can take back."

"I'm sure. I want to get a tattoo."

The big man just smiled at me.

"Hey! Edward!" He turned slightly, calling over his shoulder.

"Yo," a smooth voice came from somewhere in the back of the shop.

"You got time to do a tattoo?"

"Sure, I don't have any appointments tonight. Be out in a sec."

"Okay, ladies, have a seat, he'll be with you in a bit." Gesturing towards a couple chairs, the man stood up. Jesus, he was huge; six four, easy. I nodded, before grabbing Alice and dragging her to one of the chairs.

"Bella, are you sure about this?" Alice asked me when we took our seats. "I mean, you never were one for spontaneity."

"And you were never a stick in the mud," I told her, smiling to let her know I was teasing. "Come on, where's my irresponsible best friend when I need her most? I'm getting a tattoo, for Christ's sake!"

Alice giggled before opening her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the chiming of the door.

"I have two coffees here, one black with sugar, and the other cream with no sugar. Who get's what again?"

He was tall and lanky, long, honey blonde hair brushing the spacers in his ears. He spoke with a soft southern twang, like he had moved to Chicago years ago, and his accent was just starting to fade. He looked over at Alice and me, giving us a small smile.

"Ladies," he said with a slight incline of his head. "Ya'll being helped?"

Alice nodded mutely, looking slightly like a bobble head doll. The guy smiled again before continuing towards the back of the shop. When he was out of site, Alice grasped my arm.

"Oh my god, did you see him?" She gushed in a whisper. "Can you say, delish?"

I laughed at her. Before I could respond, a smooth voice interrupted me.

"Ladies, I'm Edward, who is getting tattooed tonight?"

I looked up, only to have all coherent thoughts leave my mind.

Standing before us was the most perfect male specimen I had ever seen. He was tall and lean, with a shock of unruly bronze hair and startling green eyes. I felt as though I was going to melt into the chair.

"Uh…me…I am," I managed to splutter. He just smiled warmly at me.

"Do you have an idea as to what you want?" he asked.

_You!_ My mind screamed. I managed to avoid complete embarrassment and mumbled, "I think I have an idea," instead.

He smiled that warm smile again, and took the seat across from me, holding a pencil poised over a piece of paper.

"Could you describe to me what you think you want? I'll see if I can sketch it out for you."

As I went on about what I wanted, I noticed that Alice was craning around in her seat trying to get a look at the blonde cutie that had come in with the coffee.

When I was done describing to Edward what I wanted, he stood up and excused himself for a moment.

"Good god, did you see him? Wasn't he just…just so," I trailed off, realizing that Alice wasn't listening to me, but instead was still looking for the blonde cutie. Tapping her on the shoulder, I reclaimed her attention.

"What?" she asked, obviously distracted.

"Why don't you just walk back there and give him your number in typical Alice fashion, that way I won't have to deal with this," I waved my hand around her to encompass how she was acting, "all night." Alice just smiled at me.

"I think I have an even better idea," she said wickedly.

Before I could ask what this idea was, Edward was back, a small piece of paper clutched in his hand. He handed it to me, before running his fingers through his hair.

"Is this what you were looking for?" he asked.

I just gapped at the drawing. It was like he had taken the image I'd had in my head for the past five years and put it down on paper. Looking up at him, I smiled.

"It's perfect."

He gave me a slightly crooked grin before walking over to the counter and grabbing a clipboard.

"I just need you to fill out this paperwork. Make sure you read over it carefully, and let me know when you're ready. I'll go start to get set up."

He turned to head towards the back of the shop again when Alice spoke up.

"Actually, Edward," she said with a sly smile that could mean nothing but trouble. Uh oh. "I was thinking I might get a tattoo tonight as well."

"Alright. Hey, Em, can you do a tattoo as well?" He called back.

"No man, not tonight." The big man from earlier walked into the waiting area, looking down at us. "I'm picking Rose up for dinner in twenty minutes, and you know how she gets when we're late, dude."

Edward nodded, and something about his expression told me that this Rose was not one to make late.

"Ask Jazz, though, I don't think he has anything going on."

"Kay," Edward said, before turning to Alice. "I'll be right back."

"You are an evil little pixie, you know that?" I asked her. "You're going to get a tattoo just to talk to a cute guy?"

Her smile was purely wicked.

I filled out the paperwork, just basic questions. Did I have HIV or hepatitis? Did I have any fainting or blood disorders? Had I ever had a tattoo before? I answered the questions carefully, and read through the legal jargon saying that neither the tattoo parlor nor the artist would be responsible if something went wrong with my tattoo. After being sure I initialed in all the right spots, I signed the form and waited for Edward to return.

After several minutes he walked back into the waiting area, followed closely by the blonde cutie.

"All set?" he asked, reaching a hand out for my clipboard. He scanned it over, before meeting my eyes again. God, I loved guys with green eyes.

"Okay, let's get started then," he said, motioning for me to walk ahead of him.

I heard Jazz talking softly to Alice about what tattoo she wanted as I stepped up into the work area of the shop. Placing his hand on the small of my back, Edward led me into the first work station. It reminded me a little of the work stations at my dentist's office, and that helped calm me a little. I was the only person I knew that loved going to the dentist. Maybe it was because I'd never had a filling.

"So," Edward glanced at the paperwork I'd filled out, "Isabella—"

"Bella," I interrupted him.

He met my eyes.

"Bella."

Christ, the way he said my name, like his mouth was caressing the word.

_That's not all I'd like his mouth to caress._

I shook the thought from my head. Thankfully, Edward didn't seem to notice that my thoughts had taken a turn into the gutter. He was holding a paper towel under the faucet at his station. Grabbing a small piece of what looked like tracing paper, he dropped to his knees. I had to stifle a moan.

"Which leg," he asked, his voice liquid velvet.

"Huh?" The sight of him, on his knees before me, was muddling my brain.

"Which leg did you want the tattoo on?" The crooked grin he gave me told me he might have an idea where my thoughts were at. Trying not to blush, I answered him.

"The left, please."

He ran one long finger down the side of my left calf. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from moaning.

"Here?" he asked. His voice was soft and husky, and did nothing at all to help my current situation, nor did him running his finger up and down a small section of my calf, about three inches above my ankle bone. I assumed he was indicating the area he was asking about. Not trusting myself to look down, I simply nodded.

"Okay."

I gasped as the cool moisture met my leg. Looking down, I saw that Edward was holding the tracing paper to my calf, and was running the wet paper towel over it. After a moment, he carefully pulled the paper away. A small smile crossed his lips.

"That's going to be really cute," he said so softly I almost didn't hear him. "Take a look." He pointed to the full sized mirror on the wall opposite his work area.

Tilting my leg slightly to give myself a better view, I looked at the outline on my leg. Edward was right; it was going to be cute. I met his eyes in the mirror, giving him a small smile.

"Oh, Bella, that's gonna look great!" Alice squealed from behind me.

I turned towards her, giving her a better view.

"You think so?"

She nodded, before following Jazz into the work area next to Edward's.

"Okay," I shot Edward a nervous smile. "Let's do this."

Laughing softly, he helped me up into the chair before taking a seat on the stool and getting out supplies.

"You know, Bella," Alice said to me over the waist high divider between the stations, "I never thought I'd say this, but it's a good thing you don't wear skirts. Henry would freak!"

I chuckled softly. She was, of course, right. We had a strict "no visible body art" policy at work, and this tattoo would be hard to cover up if I was wearing a skirt.

"Is Henry your boyfriend?" Edward asked softly. Was it just my imagination, or did he seem slightly upset?

"No," I said, disgust coloring my voice. "God, no. Henry is my boss."

"Not to mention a first rate jackass," Alice chimed in.

"Yeah, that too," I laughed.

Edward chuckled, seeming to relax some. He squirted brightly colored ink into a tiny plastic cup.

"Why don't you wear skirts?" He asked as he started washing his hands.

"I'm a terrible klutz," I explained, blushing. "It's embarrassing enough to fall down, let alone to fall down and have your skirt fly up around your waist."

Edward dropped one of the gloves he was trying to pull on, meeting my eyes briefly before grabbing another. His eyes seemed darker, but before I could wonder why, he was focusing on putting the glove on.

"I'm going to start by tracing the outline in black ink," he explained to me. "Then, I'll fill in the outline with the colors. Okay?"

I nodded. Smiling at me, he ran his long finger over the outline on my leg one last time, before turning the gun on. It made a loud buzzing noise, but Edward raised his voice to talk over it.

"So, Bella," he said as he dipped the tip of the gun in the cup holding the black ink. "Where do you work?"

"I work for W—ah!" I closed my eyes tightly. I knew it was going to hurt, but shit, that_ really_ hurt!

Edward pulled the gun away from my skin, worry in his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded, feeling like an idiot.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't expect that. Go on."

He gave me a look, before returning the gun to my skin. This time I was prepared for the pain.

"I work for WFLD," I said through clenched teeth.

He stopped his work again, his eyes searching my face to see if he recognized me.

"Are you an anchor?" he asked when he had apparently decided he couldn't place me. I shuddered.

"God, no. I don't think I could handle being an anchor, having to talk in front of all those people? Ugh!"

Edward chuckled and returned to my leg.

"So, what do you do?" he asked as he traced the lines on my skin. I started to get dizzy looking at the needles and the black trail they left in their wake, so instead I focused on his face. And what a face it was. His brow was furrowed slightly in concentration, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. I was hit with the sudden urge to lean forward and run my tongue along that lip.

Shaking my head slightly, I answered his question.

"Well, I'm still kind of new, so really right now I'm just doing research. Pretty much, I'm a gopher," I admitted sheepishly.

He smiled, dipping more black ink on the gun, before looking up at me.

"Gotta start somewhere."

"What about you?" I asked. "How did you get started at this?"

"Well, a couple years ago I walked into a tattoo parlor with a sketch of a tattoo I wanted. The guy asked me who drew it out, and I told him I did. He offered me training and a job." He ran a wet paper towel over the area he was working on, removing the excess ink, before moving to a different section. "About a year later, Emmett told me he was opening his own tattoo parlor, and asked if I'd come work for him."

"Emmett's the grizzly bear who was at the counter when we came in?" I asked.

Edward chuckled.

"That's him, but he's not as dangerous as he looks. Really, he's more of a teddy bear than a grizzly. He, Jasper, and I grew up together. Em always knew he wanted to be a tattoo artist. Jazz and I sort of found it out along the way."

He wiped at my leg again with a wet paper towel, before turning back to his tools. Changing guns and gloves, he dipped tip of the new gun in the bright pink ink.

I watched him as he worked for a while. He had muscular arms; not body builder type arms, but the kind that would probably be very good at holding a girl up against a wall. Not wanting to think about such things, I concentrated on the tattoo on the inside of his right forearm.

It was a long-stemmed rose done simply in black ink. Around the stem was a banner, looped three times. On each loop, something was written.

_Elizabeth Marie Masen  
5/27/58 – 3/17/05  
Gone, but not forgotten_

"Who's Elizabeth?" I asked softly.

Edward jerked slightly, and when his eyes met mine there was confusion in them.

"How'd you…." He trailed off when I looked at the tattoo on his arm. Glancing down at it himself, he exhaled a small breath then gave me a sad smile.

"Elizabeth is my mother. This is actually the tattoo I designed. My dad used to call her his Spanish Rose, so…." He trailed off again, obviously sad.

"It's beautiful," I told him softly.

He smiled sadly at me once more before returning to his work. He was silent for a long while, making me wonder if maybe I shouldn't have said anything.

I watched for a moment as he filled in a small area with orange. My leg seemed to swim before me. Turning away, I tried to shake off the dizziness that was overcoming me.

"Bella, are you alright?"

Edward's voice seemed to come from a long way off, and I had to focus to try to answer him.

"Fine," I managed weakly. "Just a little dizzy."

I slumped softly to the side of my chair, unable to stay sitting up any longer. Edward acted quickly, standing up and leaning the chair back so I was lying down. I closed my eyes, trying to get the room to stop spinning. I felt a cold wetness on my forehead, and opened my eyes to see Edward standing over me, a slightly worried expression on his face, pressing a wet paper towel to my forehead.

"Bella, babe, you okay?"

His voice was so soft, and tinged with such concern, that I felt a stupid grin crossing my face despite my nausea. I held my thumb up in the air (like an idiot) to indicate that I was fine. Edward chuckled and moved out of my line of sight, returning with a candy cane that he was unwrapping.

"Here," he said, pressing the minty stick to my lips. "Suck on this for a few minutes, it will help you feel better."

I closed my eyes and sucked on the candy cane, trying to regain the ability to sit up. Every few minutes, Edward would flip the paper towel on my forehead, running his hands over my face as he did so. He tucked a few strands of my hair behind my ears, and I swear once his fingers lingered against my cheek. Of course, in my current state, I could have been imagining it.

After a while, the world stopped spinning, and I opened my eyes. Edward had moved his stool so it was up next to my head and he was looking at me intently.

"All better?" He asked softly, running the backs of his fingers over my face again. I smiled and nodded.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly.

"For what?" he asked as he helped me sit back up, adjusting the chair back behind me.

"For almost passing out like that. I feel like an idiot."

I felt Edward's finger under my chin, turning me to look at him. It was an oddly intimate move, and the look in his eyes only made it more so.

"Bella, you're not an idiot," he said softly, letting his fingers fall from my face. "And don't worry about it, it happens all the time."

He moved his stool back near my feet, and started washing his hands.

"Are you ready to keep going, or do you want to wait a little while longer?"

"I'm fine," I said.

When I heard Edward turn the gun back on, I looked toward Alice. I wasn't going to watch him work again; I didn't want to actually pass out.

It took me a moment to register what I was seeing when I focused on Alice. From the position I was in, it looked as though she and Jasper were doing something very naughty. Alice's leg was propped up on the counter, her legs spread wide. Jasper was hunched over between her legs, working very high up on her thigh.

"Uh, Alice," I called, trying to stifle a laugh. "What are you doing?"

She spared me half a glance over her shoulder before returning her attention to Jasper.

"The same thing you are, silly. What does it look like?"

I could tell by the tone of her voice she knew damn good and well what it looked like. Alice only asked the rhetorical question because she didn't think I'd make anything of it. Maybe it was the recent lightheadedness, but I decided to play with Alice.

"It looks like you two need a moment alone."

Edward snorted before guffawing loudly, Alice squeaked before turning bright red, and it sounded as though Jasper dropped his gun.

Meeting Edward's eyes, we shared a small smile before he got back to work.

"So, Bella, what kind of music do you listen to?" He was wiping away the extra ink and stretching the skin on my leg softly, apparently looking for spots he missed.

Alice and I snorted together, and answered at the same time.

"Everything."

Jasper and Edward raised their heads and shared a confused look.

"That's a rather bizarre response," Edward said, running the gun over a spot that looked fairly well colored to me.

"Well, I do. You should see my iPod. I have country, rap, oldies, show tunes, pop, R&B, everything!"

Edward had stopped what he was doing partway through my little speech. He was looking at me with shock and the tiniest bit of disgust on his face.

"Show tunes?" He asked, his voice sounding like I had told him I liked to have slugs and termites with my morning coffee. Alice laughed.

"Yup, show tunes. Our Bella loves her Broadway!"

"What's wrong with show tunes?" I asked Edward, ignoring Alice entirely.

"It's just—they're show tunes!" Edward said, as though that was a decent explanation.

I just laughed. Most people had this reaction. But I didn't care. I liked the music, and that was all that mattered.

Edward shook his head, before looking back at my tattoo. After turning his head this way and that, he turned the gun off, wiped the area down one last time, and leaned back.

"What do you think?"

I looked down, turning my head to try to get a better look. There, sitting about three inches above my ankle bone was a beautiful daisy (my favorite flower) with a pink and orange butterfly preparing to land on it. I smiled broadly at Edward.

"It's perfect," I told him.

His gorgeous crooked grin just about stopped my heart.

Standing, he grabbed a small foil packet and a tiny card out of one of his cupboards. Tearing open the packet, he squeezed a small amount of some clear jelly onto his fingers, sitting back on his stool.

Carefully, he rubbed the jelly into my new tattoo while explaining to me just how to take care of it during the next couple weeks. I tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but the way his fingers, bare of latex, were rubbing into my skin, making the pain go away, was mesmerizing.

"All these instructions are on this card," Edward said as he placed a bandage over my leg, taping it in place. "But if you have any questions, any at all, please feel free to call me."

He was looking into my eyes, and it felt like his words held so much more meaning than what was on the surface, but I wasn't sure. I wanted to say something smart or witty, but all I could do was nod. Edward smiled at me.

"What—what do I owe you?" I asked, finding my voice but not saying what I wanted to at all.

Something flashed across Edward's face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. Running his fingers through his hair, he walked around to the cash register and hit some buttons.

"Seventy dollars," he said without looking up at me. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Jasper stopped and looked up at us, but I didn't pay attention to him. Instead, I counted out five twenties, and handed them to Edward.

Edward counted them, then handed me a ten and a twenty back. I pushed the money back to him without actually taking it.

"It's a tip for a job well done," I told him. Edward started shaking his head right after I said the word "tip."

"No, Bella, keep your money, please."

I arched an eyebrow at him. "I hope you don't refuse all your tips," I said, putting my hands in my pockets so he couldn't force the money on me.

"I don't," he said, trying to get me to take the cash, "but I had such a pleasant time talking with you that it would feel wrong to take a tip from you. Besides, thirty is too much."

I laughed, trying to keep myself from blushing at the thought that he had liked talking with me so much. "I don't think so, you did a beautiful job."

"Look," Edward said, pushing the money even closer to me. "How about this? You keep your tip money, but you promise that next time you want a tattoo you'll come back to me?"

I smiled even broader. Did this mean he wanted to see me again?

"Okay, Edward. I'll come back to you for my next tattoo. But you're keeping the tip money."

Before he could argue any further, I walked back toward where Alice was. Standing back so I wasn't in Jasper's way, I looked at what he was working on, and laughed. It looked as though someone wearing bright red lipstick had planted a kiss on Alice's inner thigh. Very high on her inner thigh.

Edward walked up behind me, laughing as well when he saw Alice's tattoo, and proceeded to make small talk with Jasper. After a couple minutes, Jasper finished Alice's tattoo, walked her through the same instructions that (I assume) Edward gave me, and rang her up. Thanking the guys and wishing them a pleasant evening, we walked out of the shop and into the warm summer night air.

When I got home that evening, I found thirty dollars loose in my purse. The little sneak.

Over the next week I thought of Edward often. I thought of him the three times I rubbed ointment into my tattoo daily. I thought of him every time I glanced at my tattoo in the mirror. I thought of him when I showered in the mornings, being careful to wash my tattoo with just my fingertips. And I thought of him often in between, for no reason at all.

Friday morning, when I was getting dressed for work, I did something I hadn't done in years: I put on a skirt. I pulled on boots that were more suitable for late fall, not late summer, to hide my tattoo, grabbed my purse, and walked out the door. I was going to stop by the tattoo parlor after work to see Edward. I'd say I had a question about my tattoo, that I wasn't sure if it was healing properly or something, but really, I just wanted to see Edward again.

That afternoon all hell broke loose. The mayor had been caught with a prostitute the night before, and I was busy all day looking into leads and coming up with information for the stories. When I finally stepped out of the building and started towards my car at eleven, I was about ready to collapse.

Twirling my keys around my finger, I kicked around the idea of stopping by to see Edward. On the one hand, I really wanted to see him. I hadn't thought it would be possible for me to miss someone who I had only met and known for a couple hours, but I did miss him. I missed the sound of his voice, the green of his eyes, and the touch of his fingers. On the other hand, however, I wasn't sure if Edward wanted to see me. I mean, I was just a customer to him, nothing more.

_But,_ a tiny voice in the back of my head said, _he did tell you to come back to him if you ever wanted another tattoo. That has to mean something, right?_

I wasn't sure.

Reasoning with myself that it was late and he was probably gone for the evening anyway, I started walking down Michigan Ave. When I reached the shop, I was a tiny bit relieved to see that all the lights were out. I stood outside the door for a moment and sighed heavily. This was a sign. If I was meant to see Edward again, he would have still been here. I told myself that the walk was good for me anyway as I turned and headed back towards the parking garage.

"Bella?" I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

I turned around. Edward was standing half in the doorway of the tattoo parlor. The look on his face was surprised and…happy? I smiled at him, my whole face lighting up, and was glad it was dark out so he couldn't see what and idiot I looked like.

"Hey, Edward," I said, walking back towards him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. It wasn't an accusation, like some would say it. He simply sounded curious.

"I wanted to see you," I said without thinking about it. The minute the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. Instead, I added in a hurry, "About my tattoo."

"Oh." Did he look disappointed? "Come in. I was just cleaning up for the evening."

I walked past him into the shop, and waited for him while he locked the door.

He turned back to me, looked me up and down, and smiled.

"I thought you didn't wear skirts?"

_He remembered!_

"Not usually, no, but today I decided to." I blushed. I could feel his eyes roaming over my body, and it made me all warm and tingly. I tried to push the thoughts from my head.

"Well, they look good on you; you should wear them more often." Before I could think of something to say to this, he was moving on. "So, Bella, what's going on with your tattoo?"

It took my mind a moment to catch up.

"My tattoo? Oh, right. Well…." I tried to think of something, and said the first thing that popped into my head. "I'm not sure if it's healing correctly, and I was wondering if you could take a look at it.

He looked slightly concerned and motioned for me to take a seat in the chair at his work station where I had sat the week before. Sitting on his stool, he took my leg in his hands, pulling down the zipper to my boot before I could. Slipping it off my foot, he looked carefully at my tattoo. I tried to keep my mind off the thought that he had pretty much started to undress me.

"It looks like it's healing well," he said softly, running his finger over it. My eyes rolled shut at his touch, and I had to fight back a moan. I was acutely aware of the fact that my foot was propped against his chest, and that he was gripping my upper calf with one hand while running the other along the side of my leg. Oh, and that I was in a skirt, which I was sure was giving him quite the view.

Pulling open a drawer, he grabbed a small jar. Without moving my leg, he opened it, taking out a dollop of what looked like lotion and rubbing it into my tattoo.

"Have you been following my directions," he asked as he worked the lotion into my skin, now massaging the rest of my calf, high above where my tattoo was. Was it just my imagination, or was his voice deeper?

"Yes," I said somewhat breathlessly.

I watched Edward swallow, watched him lick his lips, and the actions went straight to my groin. He continued to massage my leg in silence, moving down to rub the arch of my foot after a few minutes. My head fell back and this time I did moan.

"That's the problem with these boots," he said roughly, and he pulled down the zipper on the other one, slipping that one off as well. "They make your muscles so tight."

I was breathing heavier, all but panting. Edward was massaging my other calf now, working his way down to the foot, then back up. I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of his strong fingers working the tension from my muscles, when I felt his lips press to the inside of my right ankle.

"Oh!"

My eyes flew open and met his. They were darker, hungry, and caused the moisture pooling between my legs to soak through my panties.

Never dropping my gaze, Edward dragged his lips up the inside of my leg, pausing behind my knee to suck on the flesh there. My eyes rolled shut and my head dropped back as I let out a loud moan. Edward flattened his tongue, licking from my knee up my thigh, pushing my skirt out of his way. Then I felt it: the tiny piece of metal in the middle of his tongue. Dear lord, the man had his tongue pierced. I didn't even have time to fully consider this fact when I felt his tongue trace the edge of my panties. Crying out, I bucked towards his face, causing him to chuckle.

"I wanted to do this the moment I saw you."

Holding my gaze again, I watched as he slowly pushed my underwear aside, lowered his mouth to my folds, and ran his tongue along the length of my lips.

"Fuck!" I cried out, bucking against him again.

Wrapping a hand around my hips to hold me steady, Edward started lapping at me with fervor. Every few strokes that little ball of metal would flick against my clit, causing me to arch off the chair and scream in pleasure. As I climbed higher and my orgasm grew closer, Edward picked up his pace, working my clit faster with his tongue and thrusting two fingers into me. He twisted his fingers deep within me and sucked my clit into his mouth.

"Come on, baby," I heard him mumble against my moist heat. "Come for me."

I exploded in a blinding rush, crying out Edward's name again and again.

I barely had a chance to start to come down from my orgasm when Edward's lips crushed to mine. I kissed him deeply and wildly, vaguely realizing that he'd gone down on me before we'd even kissed. He was exceptionally skilled at both. His lips were firm, taking control and working my own in a new and dizzying way. I'd never been kissed like this, with such passion, such abandon.

My mind barely registered that I was standing, that we were stripping each other of our clothing. I pulled back, yanking Edward's shirt up over his head. He had another tattoo over his heart, but before I could get a good look at what it was, his lips were back on mine.

Edward collapsed into the chair I had been sitting in earlier, pulling me down on top of him. I felt his hard length graze my entrance, and pressed against him, moaning loudly into his mouth.

He maneuvered a hand between us, positioned himself at my entrance, and thrust up into me. Our cries were muffled by each other's lips. Christ, he felt so damn good. The way he stretched and filled me, unlike anything else, unlike anyone else. Gripping his shoulders for leverage, I began riding him, pounding my hips down to his.

"Fuck, Bella. Just like that, baby," Edward grunted, lifting his hips to meet mine.

I swiveled my hips around, drawing him deeper. My second orgasm was building quickly, and my movements picked up speed as I tried to bring it closer. Edward clutched my hips, lifting me up and slamming me back to him with more force than I was able to manage.

"Yes! God!"

I fisted my hands in my hair, arching back as I came forcefully again. My orgasm hadn't even finished before Edward was picking me up.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his shoulders and screamed again as he slammed me back against the wall. His hands were clutching my hips roughly, holding me to him as he pounded into me with such force my teeth knocked together. God, I was right, he was good at this.

"Bella," he breathed in my ear. "Fuck, so close baby. Come with me."

Two more hard thrusts and we came together, screaming each others names. I buried my face in Edward's neck, closing my eyes against the sensation. God, I'd never gotten off so forcefully before, never mind three times in one night! Edward's hands were running up and down my back, and I realized I was shaking. Pulling back, I kissed him. We were sitting again, though I wasn't sure when that had happened.

"Wow," I managed in a small voice.

Edward threw his head back and laughed.

"Yeah, wow pretty much covers it."

He pressed his lips to mine again and held me close. I ran my hands along his chest, hovering over the tattoo over his heart. It was two tiny baby footprints, with "Katarina Maria Mason 6/23/05" written under it.

I ran my fingers over the tiny, little toes and looked up to meet Edward's eyes.

"My daughter," he said softly. His eyes shown with the gentle pride and love that only a father could feel. I had to smile.

"Where is she?" I asked, not wanting to keep him from his small daughter this late at night. Edward tightened his arms around me when I tried to stand, however.

"My ex has custody; I get her Tuesdays and Wednesdays."

I nodded. I was suddenly realizing how little I knew about this man who had just fucked me. Gently prying myself from his grasp, I started to get dressed. I suddenly couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes.

"Bella," his voice was soft, and his fingers wrapped gently around my wrist, turning me to face him. Reluctantly, I met his eyes. They were soft, caring.

"I want you to know that I don't usually do this sort of thing."

I nodded. Of course not, wasn't that part of the post one night stand script that all guys seemed to get?

"No, Bella," he stepped forward, easing his hand under my chin, forcing me to meet his steady green gaze again. "I'm being honest with you. I've been with exactly two women since Tanya and I separated two years ago, and you're one of them."

I'm not sure why, but I believed him. I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head against his chest.

"I don't usually do this either," I mumbled against his chest. He chuckled warmly, the vibrations seeming to go through me and shake away my fears and insecurities.

"I'm not surprised," he whispered into my hair.

I felt his fingers under my chin again, tilting my face up to his. His lips brushed against mine, soft and slow, in a gentle kiss. After a moment, he pulled away from me.

"Why don't you get dressed?" he asked softly.

I put my clothes back on, and was about to sit to put my boots back on when Edward dropped to his knees before me, much like on the day I had met him. He carefully helped me into each boot, zipping them back up slowly. When he was done, he kissed me softly again, before taking my hand and leading me out of the shop.

We walked hand and hand down the deserted street. It should have felt weird to be walking with his man I barely knew down the streets of Chicago at one in the morning. But, because I was with Edward, it felt strangely right.

**A/N: So, tell me what you think? Like? No? It was mentioned that someone was wondering what happened with Alice and Jasper. Would anyone be interested in me continuing this after the contest ends? Find out what happens with Jasper and Alice and just what else Emmett has pierced? Let me know.**


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